INIAN BAY is a bight to the west of Point Barrow;* it is about three
miles deep, and has a small opening at the bottom; in crossing it we had
not more water than four fathoms, and within our course it appeared to be
very shoal: there is doubtless a channel leading to the opening; but, to
the name of harbour or port, it has not the slightest pretension: it was
named Port Ninian by Lieutenant Jeffreys: off the north end of Point
Barrow are two rocky islands.

(*Footnote. Off Point Barrow, the shoals lie from half to one mile nearer
the shore, than they are laid down; and one mile and three quarters North
55 degrees East from the point are two small patches of coral, under
water; they bear North-East and South-West from each other and are
probably one tenth of a mile apart. Roe manuscript.)

Between Ninian Bay and Cape Melville the coast is high and rocky, but
appeared to be fronted by a reef, which in some places extends for a mile
and a half from the shore; in this interval there are two or three sandy
beaches, but I doubt the practicability of landing upon them in a boat.
The summit and sides of the hills that form the promontory, of which Cape
Melville is the extreme, are of most remarkable appearance, being covered
with heaps of rounded stones of very large size (volume 1.)

CAPE MELVILLE, sloping off into the sea to the north, terminates this
remarkable promontory in latitude 14 degrees 9 minutes 30 seconds, and
longitude 144 degrees 24 minutes 50 seconds: the coast trends round it to
the South-South-West and South-West, and forms Bathurst Bay, which is
nine miles and a half deep, and thirteen wide, the western side being
formed by Flinders' Group. A reef extends for more than two miles off
Cape Melville in a North West by North direction, on which some rounded
stones, similar to those upon the land, are heaped up above the sea:
there is also one of these heaps at the extremity of the reef, outside,
and within a quarter of a mile of which we had fourteen fathoms water:
there are two other similar heaps within the outer pile, and between them
there are possibly clear passages, but they should not be attempted
without great caution. It was remarked that the breeze always freshened
on passing round this cape.

PIPON ISLANDS, two small islets, of which the easternmost is the largest,
are in latitude 14 degrees 6 minutes 40 seconds, longitude 144 degrees 26
minutes 5 seconds; they are surrounded by a reef, lying two mil